York businesses fear car parking hike will damage trade
The City Council is planning further rises to help plug funding gap
There is concern a hike in car park prices in York will further damage businesses that are already struggling.
The City Council is holding a public meeting today to discuss plans for plugging a huge funding gap.
One of the proposals is to increase charges for parking.
Kate Swift is the manager of the clothing boutique Angela Bare and is worried about the consequences: "Well the whole point of this shop is that it is so colourful and there is so much stuff in it, in such a small space, we're not something that you can just pop in and out of and the other shops in York are the same."
It's horrendous as it is, and most people don't like parking in York and if they do they don't come in for very long, if prices go up again, I don't think many people are going to be parking in York at all."
Deeply troubling but unavoidable cuts
Senior leaders at the City of York Council warn their budget includes ‘deeply troubling but unavoidable cuts’.
City of York Council Leader, Cllr Claire Douglas said:
“We’ve been clear from day one that the budget we inherited after thirteen years of central government funding cuts, combined with the depletion of council reserves, meant making some very tough decisions.
“My Executive colleagues and I are not happy about the need to take these decisions and feel deeply uncomfortable about the harrowing impact of the budgetary position we find the council in.
“Unlike other public sector organisations, we have a legal responsibility to set a balanced budget and that’s what we publish today. I can assure residents we’ll work tirelessly to limit the impact of these service reductions and work closely with our partners to continue delivering our council plan priorities, retaining our focus on equalities, affordability, climate and health”.
Other key proposals include
Key savings proposals include:
• Introduction of a Green Waste subscription service
• Changes in the contract with Explore to deliver library services
• City-wide review of personal care and support
The Council will be holding further public events to explain the proposals and to allow resident voices to be heard. That will take place on today (January 29th) and will also be webcast live on the Council’s youtube channel at www.youtube.com/cityofyorkcouncil